Leonard Daniel Wickenden (1913-1989), known as Dan, was born in Tyrone, Pennsylvania on
March 24, 1913 and graduated from Amherst College in 1935. His first novel, The Running of
the Deer, was published in 1937 followed by six others; among them was The Wayfarers, a
Literary Guild selection for 1945. He published his last novel, The Amazing Vacation, in 1956.

In 1953, Wickenden joined Harcourt Brace & World (later Harcourt Brace Jovanovich) as
associate editor. He eventually became senior editor of Harcourt's trade publications, working
with notable authors such as Eudora Welty, James Gould Cozzens, and Wendell Berry. He
retired in 1978 but continued to accept freelance consulting and editorial work until 1980.
During this time, until 1981, he also taught writing for Fairfield University's evening education
program. He died at his home in Weston, Connecticut on October 27, 1989.